


Coffee, Actually

by Likesummerrain (AverageBunny)



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Love Actually Setting, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2016-07-23
Packaged: 2018-07-26 08:35:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7567411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AverageBunny/pseuds/Likesummerrain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Love Actually-type AU/Coffee Shop AU for everyone's favorite Star Wars ships! Three couples, a few misunderstandings, lots of romance and a happy ending for everyone, what more could you ask for?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_Wednesday_

There is a soft stream of sunlight filtering in through the windows, lightening the dark wood of the furniture around them.

The soft buzz of the early morning crowd was soothing to Mace as he sips his coffee. Adi sits in front of him, face scrunched in thought. Mace watches her carefully waiting for her response. She straightens in her seat after a moment and Mace follows suit.

“If that’s your plan you’ll be dead by the end of the night,” Adi replied finally, leaning back in her chair. Mace looked confused,

“So I choose a bat covered in barbed wire and _I’m_ the one who dies?” he asked her, leaning closer to the table.

“Barbed wire’s gonna get stuck in something and it _won’t_ be a zombie’s head, Mace. You’ll be dead by noon.”

“Then what’s your weapon of choice?” he asked her, slumping back in his chair.

“A metal bat,” she said with an air of confidence. “A metal bat is easy to carry around and to swing, too.”

“You’ve done it before?”

“High school softball team,” she said, proudly.

“Seriously?” She smiled.

He looked at her, her curly hair framing her face, the sunlight behind her casting a glow around her. The shop suddenly felt warmer and Mace tugged at the collar of his sweater.

Wednesday morning and he was in his regular spot, sitting across from Adi.

He couldn’t remember how long this had been going on, but it felt as though they had always met right here, sharing their coffee and the newest scenario one of them had come  up with. It was their routine.

Once they’d sat down with their drinks, one of them would propose a scenario of their choosing and discuss what would be their course of action.

Today had been the zombie apocalypse, much to Adi’s dismay.

“You’re just trying to move past this one,” Mace grumbled into his coffee. She smiled,

“How’d you know?” she teased. Mace furrowed his brows, taking a longer sip, trying to think of another question for her.

“Mace,” she said suddenly, sitting up straighter now. He looked up at her,

“Yeah?” She hesitated for a moment and shook her head before continuing,

“I just wanted to know if you wanted to go out next Friday?” she asked, looking at her hands wrapping around her mug. “To the theater? They’re doing the Nutcracker and I thought you might like to join me.” Her voice became softer as she finished her question. Mace realized his hands had tightened around the napkins still in his hand, slowly tearing them.

“Oh,” was all he could manage. He pulled his mug up for another sip but was too distracted to realize it was nowhere near his mouth “Oh, fuck!” he grumbled, pushing his chair back, putting his mug down. The chatter in the shop stopped suddenly as the few patrons present turned to look at him. Adi stood up in her seat,

“Are you alright?” she asked, worriedly. He looked up at her, suddenly very embarrassed at what he had just done.

“Yeah,” he mumbled, grabbing a handful of napkins from in front of him. “Yeah, yeah I’m fine,.” She watched him, reluctantly sitting back down. “Um,” he started again, situating himself back in his seat. “Next Friday?” he asked, skeptically.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” she replied quickly.

“No…” he trailed off. “I just…” He wasn’t sure what he wanted to say, but it didn’t matter since Adi was gathering her things now, avoiding his eyes.

“Right,” she said awkwardly, pushing her seat out. “You don’t have to answer right now, it’s okay.” She stood and walked away from him, putting on her coat as she sped out of the shop.

Behind him, Mace heard someone whistle lowly. He turned, glaring at Rex who stood behind the counter, holding a box in his arms, blue cap turned backwards on his head. Rex chuckled at Mace’s expression.

“Yikes,” is all he said before walking into the backroom. Mace dropped his head, sighing.

He had frozen when she had asked him.

It had sounded like a date, a formal invitation to the theater with her. He should have said yes immediately, it was what anyone would have done, but when faced with a decision he had choked.

Mace rubbed his hands over his face before standing up to leave.

***

_Thursday_

There are few people who have ever seen Obi-Wan Kenobi blush.

Contrary to popular belief, it is actually quite difficult to make him blush.

The tall man who now stood in front of Obi-Wan was not aware of this. There was no reason for him to know this, but when Obi-Wan had run headfirst into him, knocking himself off balance, the man was the first one to see Obi-Wan’s blush in years.

“Um,” Obi-Wan mumbled, looking up at the man he’d just run into.

“Alright?” he asked him. Obi-Wan nodded, his voice suddenly gone. The man reached a hand out to fix Obi-Wan’s collar without thinking, causing his face to turn an even deeper shade of red.

Behind him he could hear the muffled laughter of Ahsoka and Anakin, silently cursing himself for tagging along with the them in the first place.

“Sorry about that,” Obi-Wan mumbled. The man shook his head,

“Not your fault,” he replied coolly. Obi-Wan could only nod at him before he pushed past him quickly, walking out of the shop, Anakin and Ahsoka running after him.

“So that was something,” Ahsoka said, trying not to laugh as they caught up to Obi-Wan.

“What _was_ that?” Anakin asked, grinning from ear to ear.

“Nothing,” Obi-Wan said firmly, taking a seat on the bench outside the shop.

“It didn’t seem like nothing,” Ahsoka said, sitting down next to him, bumping his shoulder playfully.

“Yeah, Obi-Wan, I’ve never seen you blush like that before,” Anakin replied, leaning against the lamppost. Obi-Wan glared at him as it dawned on him.

“I forgot my coffee,” Obi-Wan said, standing up suddenly.

“You poor thing,” Anakin teased.

“Someone’s got it bad,” Ahsoka said, singing the words at him. Obi-Wan walked past them right back into the shop where Rex stood, staring at him. Rex nodded down at the drink in front of him,

“You plan on taking that?” he asked, smirking as Obi-Wan walked towards him.

“Sorry,” Obi-Wan mumbled.

“Most thieves take the food without paying,” Rex said. “Not the other way around.”

“Yes, yes I get it, I get it,” Obi-Wan said, sitting down at the counter.

“He’s in here most afternoons, by the way,” Rex said after a while, wiping down the counter where Obi-Wan now sat.  

“What?”

“Qui Gon Jinn,” Rex explained. “He’s a Professor at the school nearby, he’s here most afternoons. Usually has a book with him.”

“Why…?”

“Because even the blind could see you blushing when he looked at you. You’re not subtle, Kenobi,” Rex told him. Obi-Wan huffed at the accusation.

“That’s hardly…”

“My business, I know,” Rex finished for him, laughing. “Just thought I would put it out there, ya know,” he said, walking back to the register.

Obi-Wan slumped in his seat as Anakin and Ahsoka walked back to him, chatting about something else now.

“Where’s tall, tan and handsome?” Anakin asked, looking around as he and Ahsoka sat on either side of him. Obi-Wan didn’t reply, but took a long sip from his latte.

“Don’t worry, Obi-Wan,” Ahsoka said, putting an arm around him. “He’ll come back to you,” she said with a wink at him. Obi-Wan sighed.

The Thursday afternoon rush had died out now, everyone returning to work or to classes, but Obi-Wan, Anakin and Ahsoka sat there.

Anakin and Ahsoka plotted the different ways to find the tall man Obi-Wan had run into, but Obi-Wan tried to push the thought out of his mind.

He wasn’t some teenager with a crush, he was more mature than that.

But when he thought again of the man’s smile, Obi-Wan groaned and put his head down on his arms.

 _Qui Gon, that’s his name,_ Obi-Wan thought. He shook his head as he finished his drink, he was better than this. He wasn’t going to let this random meeting turn into anything more.

***

_Friday_

“Ani?”

“Padmé?”

The two looked at each other, surprised. Padmé’s hand was on her cheek, and Anakin was still on the floor.

“Are you okay?” she asked. Anakin looked down at himself, lying sprawled out on the floor of the coffee shop.

“Oh yeah,” he said, clearing his throat, but made no move to get up. “It’s just….Friday, y’know.” Padmé nodded, a concerned look still on her face.

“Skywalker, if you don’t get off the floor you’re mopping it up tonight,” Rex said, stepping over him with a tray full of used dishes. Anakin stood up quickly, fixing himself and Padmé took one step back.

“So,” Anakin started, straightening his coat. “What, uh...what’re you doing here? I thought you were in London for the year?” he asked her. Padmé nodded,

“Yeah, I just got back,” she replied. “How’re you?”

“Fine,” he said immediately. “I’m doing great. How about you?”

“I’m well, thanks,” she said, her expression softening.

“How are Obi-Wan and Ahsoka?” she asked.

“Padmé!” Ahsoka yelled excitedly from the front of the shop.

“Ahsoka!” Padmé replied as Ahsoka nearly tackled her in a hug.

“When did you get back?” she asked excitedly.

“Yesterday,” she replied, hugging her back. “How’re you?”

“I’m great!” she said, pulling back now. Ahsoka looked up at her, confused for a moment. “Is that blueberry on your face?” she asked, wiping the jam off her cheek.

“Oh,” Padmé said with a sheepish smile, “looks like I didn’t get it all.”

“What happened?” Ahsoka asked.

“Nothing,” Anakin said quickly. “Nothing,” he repeated again, quieter this time. Padmé smiled at him and he felt his shoulders relax.

“Just...a small accident,” Padmé said. “Nothing big.” She looked at Anakin and he nodded a small thanks to her.

“Right,” Ahsoka said, giving him a strange look, but neither Anakin nor Padmé noticed as they smiled at each other. “So how long are you back for?” she asked, turning back to Padmé.

“Until New Year’s,” Padmé answered, looking at her now. “I was going to call you guys tonight, see if you wanted to have dinner together?”

“Definitely!” Ahsoka replied.

“Is tomorrow good?” Padmé asked.

“Sure!” Anakin replied first. “Tomorrow’s perfect, I’ll tell Obi-Wan, we’ll see you then,” he said quickly, grabbing Ahsoka by the arm, pulling her out of the shop. “It was good to see you again Padmé!” he called out behind him.

“Good to see you too,” she said as they left, confused as to what had just happened.

“What is wrong with you?” Ahsoka asked as soon as they were outside the shop.

“Nothing,” Anakin grumbled, pulling his coat tighter around himself.

“Come on Skywalker,” Ahsoka said. “What happened back there?”

“Nothing,” he said defensively. “I just...didn’t know she was back in town, that’s all.”

“So you threw your muffin at her?” she asked.

“Hey! That was an accident! I tripped, okay?” he told her.

“Because you saw Padmé?” she asked.

“Because I didn’t see the chair that was sticking out in front of me,” he told her.

“Because you saw Padmé,” she repeated. Anakin glared at her and she laughed. Ahsoka shrugged. “I’m just saying if you were trying to come off as anything other than awkward and desperate you failed, Skyguy.” Anakin grumbled something under his breath and walked faster.


	2. Chapter 2

Saturday

  
“And?” Mace looked at him, confused.

  
“And what?” he asked.

  
“What did you say?” Kit asked him again. Mace sighed.

  
“I didn’t say anything,” he mumbled.

  
“Adi asks you out on a date and you don’t answer?” Kit asked, working through Mace’s dilemma again.

  
“Yes,” Mace replied. Kit whistled, leaning back in his chair.

  
“You’re an idiot,” he said, finally.

Mace shot him an angry look,

  
“Thanks,” he grumbled.

  
“Listen,” Aayla interjected, sitting up now, adjusting Kit’s arm around her. “You and Adi should have been together years ago. Now you have this chance that she gives you and you didn’t say anything.”

  
“Yes, we’ve covered that,” Mace mumbled.

  
“Then what’re you mad about?” she asked.

  
“I’m not mad,” Mace said.

  
“You’re grumpier than usual, Windu,” Kit noted.

  
“You asked about it,” Mace reminded him.

  
“Because you’re grumpier than usual,” he repeated. Aayla put a hand on Kit’s shoulder, but looked at Mace.

  
“You said you hesitated,” she said. “Why?” Mace sighed, racking his brain again.

  
“I don’t know,” he said, resignedly. “I just...was surprised, I guess.”

  
“And she thought you didn’t want to, so she left,” Aayla told him.   
“She said I had time to think about it,” he told them.

  
“That means she didn’t want to hear you say no,” Aayla explained.

  
“I don’t want to say no,” Mace said.

  
“Then say yes,” Kit told him.

  
“I can’t,” Mace sighed. He leaned his head back, trying to figure this out.

  
“You and Adi have been friends for a while, right?” Aayla asked. Mace nodded,

  
“About five years now,” he said.

  
“She obviously means a lot to you and you don’t want to ruin a good thing with something as messy as a relationship, so that’s why you hesitated,” Aayla explained.

  
“Psychologists,” Kit muttered under his breath. Aayla slapped his arm lightly, still looking at Mace. Kit smiled and took her hand in his instead, pulling her closer. Mace rolled his eyes.

  
“So?” he said.

  
“So,” Aayla started. “That’s what’s happening to you, it’s normal. You can tell her that, word for word, if you want.”

  
“What do you want, Windu?” Kit asked.

  
“Her,” he mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. Kit and Aayla smiled wide at him and he turned his head away, feeling his cheeks grow hotter.

  
“You’re gone, my man,” Kit said, grinning.

  
“And you need to decide what to tell her,” Aayla added.

  
“We’ll help!” Kit said, excitedly, sitting up in his seat suddenly. Mace jumped in his seat at the sudden burst of energy. “Come on, pretend I’m Adi and you want to say yes.” Mace stood up suddenly,

  
“I am not doing this,” he mumbled, picking his bag up.

“Goodbye Aayla, Fisto,” he said, walking out of the shop, the sounds of Kit and Aayla’s laughter in the background. 

***  
Sunday

  
“By the time he gets to you you’re gonna be a mess,” Anakin told him.

Obi-Wan glared at him,

  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He looked out the window this time, taking in deep breaths, calming himself down.

  
“If you see your man again, you’re going to explode,” Anakin told him. “Look at you, you haven’t stopped tapping your foot since we sat down!”

  
“Yes thank you Anakin, I wasn’t aware of what I was doing with my own leg,” Obi-Wan mumbled.

  
“Listen,” Anakin said, leaning forward. “Pretend you don’t care about the guy. If you don’t care, then there’s not need to be nervous.” Obi-Wan scoffed at the suggestion, but thought about it.

Slowly, he turned his head back towards Anakin.

  
“I’ve been living with you too long,” Obi-Wan told him.

  
“So?” Anakin asked.

  
“And that actually made sense.” He ran a hand through his hair. Anakin had a point, he was being ridiculous.

  
But there was something in him that would not sit quietly when he thought about the man from the other day.

  
Qui Gon Jinn.

  
Professor Qui Gon Jinn.

  
He shook his head, he was getting ahead of himself. He probably hadn’t even thought about Obi-Wan in the two days that had followed their encounter, much less think about him as much as Obi-Wan had.

  
“Good morning,” the soft, deep voice spoke, breaking through Obi-Wan’s thoughts. Obi-Wan shot up, looking up at the taller man, a soft smile on his face. “Obi-Wan, correct?” he asked.

  
“Oh,” Obi-Wan said, his throat suddenly very dry. From the corner of his eye he could see Anakin grinning, putting a coffee mug up to his mouth. “Yes, hi.”

  
“Am I interrupting?” he asked, looking between Anakin and Obi-Wan.

  
“No, not at all,” Obi-Wan said quickly, standing up. He didn’t know why he had stood up, only that it had felt like the thing to do in that moment.

  
“I was just leaving,” Anakin added, standing up and gathering his things. “It was nice seeing you again…” he trailed off.

  
“Qui Gon,” he finished for him. “Qui Gon Jinn. And you?”

  
“Anakin Skywalker.”

  
“Nice to meet you Anakin.”

  
“I’ll see you guys later then,” Anakin said, watching Obi-Wan’s face slowly grow red.

  
Qui Gon turned back to Obi-Wan,   
“May I?” he asked, motioning to the chair. Obi-Wan nodded, the two of them sitting down.

  
***

  
Monday

  
“Padmé!” he called out to her. Padmé turned from her spot in line and waved at him.

Anakin chose his usual table by the window, clearing it off as best he could before Padmé got there.

  
“If you’re trying to tell me that my furniture is dirty, Skywalker, then I’m highly offended,” Rex said, walking by.

  
“I’m not saying that,” Anakin said.

  
“Then why’re you getting your sleeve all dirty?” he asked.

  
“Hey,” Padmé interrupted, walking up to the two of them.

  
“Hi,” Anakin said quickly, rolling his sleeve up.

  
“Hey Padmé,” Rex greeted her.

  
“How’re you Rex?” she asked.

  
“I’m great, Skywalker’s been helping us clean up around here lately,” he told her with a smirk. Anakin groaned.

  
“Really?” she asked.

  
“He’s kidding,” Anakin said defensively. “Here, I saved you a seat,” he continued, pulling one of the chairs out.

  
“I’ll see you two 'round then,” Rex said, walking away.

  
“Bye,” Padmé called out as he left.

  
“How’ve you been?” Anakin asked her as they both sat down.

  
“I’ve been well,” she replied, taking a sip of her drink. “How about you? It’s been too long, Ani,” she said, her voice softening. Anakin smiled, looking down at his hands,

  
“Yeah it has been,” he said quietly. “I’ve missed you Padmé.”

  
“I missed you too.” Anakin could feel his heart racing at the words,   
“So you’re back in town,” he said, clearing his throat. “Any plans of staying longer?” he asked, a slight hint of hope in his voice.

Padmé looked down at her drink and Anakin’s smile fell. “Oh,” he said.

  
“I’m trying,” she said. “Hopefully I can move back soon.”

  
“The place isn’t the same without you, ya know,” Anakin said. “When you’re around Obi-Wan can’t lecture me about anything,” he added, playfully, trying to ease the tension that had grown around them suddenly. Padmé chuckled,

  
“Well he’s usually right, Anakin,” she said. He feigned a hurt look and a voice to match,

  
“I can’t believe you would say that!” he joked. She laughed slightly louder now, and Anakin mentally patted himself on the back for making her laugh like that.

  
“You haven’t changed at all,” she told him.

  
“Neither have you,” he replied, reaching his hand out to hers. She watched as he rested his hand over hers but did not move it, and Anakin took that as a good sign.   
“I was wondering,” he started, watching their hands. Slowly, Padmé let her fingers move and intertwine with his. “If you wanted to go out, maybe tomorrow? We could go see a movie or something, or just take a walk around town, whatever you want,” he said nervously. He looked up at her, but her eyes stayed on their hands now.

  
“I’d love that,” she said quietly. She looked up at Anakin and smiled, and Anakin felt himself let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

  
“Great,” he managed to say.

  
“Great,” she repeated, still smiling at him.


	3. Chapter 3

Tuesday

  
“Any luck?” Kit asked him. Mace shook his head. It had been over a week since Adi had asked him out and he still couldn’t bring himself to talk to her.  
“What’re you waiting for?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Mace said resignedly.

“You gotta do something soon, man, or else she’ll think that you don’t care about her at all.”

“That’s not true, though!” Mace exclaimed.

“That’s not what it looks like right now,” Kit said.

“What does it look like, then?” Mace asked him.

“It looks like a guy in love with his best friend doesn’t know how to tell her that.” Mace sighed.

“How do I tell her? How do I say ‘I’m sorry I didn’t say yes earlier I hope you’re not mad at me but I’m kind of in love with you and want to go out with you on Friday’?” he asked.

“Exactly like that,” Kit said. Mace narrowed his eyes. “Listen, you want to go out with her?” he asked. Mace nodded. “Then you just tell her. Men are dumb, we don’t know how to express emotions the same way women do, so we have to be as blunt as possible and hope for the best.”

“Hope for the best?” he asked.

“Yeah, hope that whatever you say comes out right and that she understands what you’re saying.”

“Do I not make any sense?” Mace asked, a little offended at Kit’s insinuation.

“When you’re talking about Adi? Never,” Kit said, grinning.

“Very funny,” Mace grumbled.

  
***

  
Wednesday

  
“So this Friday then?” Qui Gon asked, pulling his hair back after the wind had kept blowing it in his face.

Obi-Wan watched as he smoothly pulled the long, chestnut hair into place in a knot on top of his head, small strands flying loose around his ears. Obi-Wan smiled, nodding in response.

They walked together in the park, the early morning sun slowly peeking through the clouds that had gathered since last night. It was a cold morning and Obi-Wan found himself walking closer to Qui Gon, leaning into him for warmth. They were close enough for their fingertips to brush against each other, neither one sure if they should make the first move.

“Sounds perfect,” Obi-Wan said, and Qui Gon smiled at him. Obi-Wan felt his heart skip a beat every time Qui Gon smiled at him but over the past three days he’d learned to move past it.

Nervously, he ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back into place after the wind had blown it loose.

“Then I’ll see you there,” he said. Obi-Wan’s fingertips brushed against Qui Gon’s hand and Qui Gon gently took Obi-Wan’s hand in his. They stopped underneath a large oak tree, light streaming through the branches, a dull reflection bouncing off the snow that had piled up a few weeks before.

“I’ve never seen the Nutcracker before,” Obi-Wan started, looking away from Qui Gon. “So this should be interesting.”

“It’ll be great. My niece Sabé is the lead. She’s been touring with this company for quite some time, it’s her first time in the Nutcracker, though,” he explained.

“Well at least I’m not the only first timer there,” Obi-Wan joked. Qui Gon smiled at him and Obi-Wan felt his cheeks burn. “So I’ll see you on Friday then,” he said quickly.

Qui Gon leaned forward slowly and Obi-Wan could feel his heart beat faster. He wasn't sure what to do, except to freeze in his spot. Their lips were barely inches apart when Obi-Wan's phone rang, causing them both to jump up slightly. 

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. Obi-Wan scrambled for it, trying to turn it off.

"No," Qui Gon said, "I'm sorry." 

"Wait, Qui Gon..." he trailed off, not meeting his eyes while still searching for his damned phone. Over the deafening rings of the tone he heard Qui Gon, 

“I’ll see you on Friday then.” Obi-Wan looked up to see him walking away, his phone finally revealing itself in his jacket pocket.

Silently, he cursed himself for freezing, stuffing his phone back in his pocket, not bothering to see who had called. It would be Anakin, no doubt, but all Obi-Wan could think about was running after Qui Gon, but he could only see his fading silhouette in the distance.

  
***

  
Thursday

  
“So while you’ve been off saving the world, I’ve been holding down the fort here,” Anakin said teasingly.

“Is that so? And how is that going?” she asked with a smile.

“It’s not easy Padmé, with Obi-Wan and Ahsoka and work, it’s a miracle I have any free time!” he joked. Padmé stifled a laugh and shook her head, leaning into him. Anakin wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they walked down the street.

“Well then I’m very proud of you, Ani,” she said. It was a slightly warmer today, and Anakin and Padmé walked down the street of their old neighborhood, catching up.

“So tell me,” he said after a while. Padmé looked up at him. “When’re you coming home for good?” he asked, his voice going soft.

She smiled, but looked away.

“Soon, hopefully,” she replied.

“I hope so,” Anakin said. “It’s not the same without you here.”

"You've told me," she replied. She sighed, “I’ve missed you guys so much...but I don’t know how much longer it’ll be.”

“I thought you were graduating at the end of this year?” he asked. She nodded,

“I was offered a job,” she said quietly. Anakin slowed his pace, looking down at Padmé now. “It’s in London and it would keep me there for two more years.”

“Wow,” Anakin said, unsure of what else to say. She looked up at him.

“It’s everything I’ve wanted for myself, Anakin,” she explained.

“I’m sure it is,” he said, his voice dropping. Padmé pulled back from him, keeping his hand in hers.

“I haven’t given them an answer yet,” she told him. “I was going to tell you first.” He only nodded, kicking a small pile of snow at his feet.

“What answer were you going to give them?” he asked, finally. Padmé was quiet for a moment. Anakin scoffed. “You’ve already made up your mind,” he said resentfully.

“Ani,” she pleaded.

“No,” he stopped her, pulling his arm free of her. “You have your answer, you shouldn’t keep them waiting. Not the way you kept me waiting,” he mumbled. Padmé was taken aback,

“This is my choice, Anakin,” she said firmly, her voice rising.

“Of course it is,” he said, bitterly.

“I thought you would be happy for me,” she said.

“I am!” he exclaimed, the bitterness still in his voice.

“Then why are you making this about you?” she asked.

“I’m not making it about myself,” he defended. Padmé sighed.

“I’m not doing this, Anakin. I didn’t come here to get your approval or your blessing. I came to tell you because I thought you’d be excited for me,” she told him, turning on her heel.

She walked away quickly, her hair swaying in time with her steps, while Anakin stood in his place.

He knew he should’ve gone after her, told her he was sorry, but he didn’t want to. He wanted Padmé back. He wanted her back here, at home, with him, not in London for two more years. He sighed and turned around, kicking the snow on the ground harder so that it landed on the windows of the cars parked near him.

Angrily, he walked back home, thinking of what to do.


	4. Chapter 4

Friday

  
“It’ll be fine,” Obi-Wan assured him. Mace looked back up at him nervously. Obi-Wan smiled. He had never seen Mace this worked up over anyone.

He hadn’t seen Mace express this much emotion before, actually, now that he thought about it. He thought back on his years of friendship with the man and realized the most he’d seen was him smile every now and then.

“I’ll be fine,” Mace told himself again.

“Adi cares for you, just as you care for her. She’ll understand,” Obi-Wan said softly.

Mace looked over the incoming crowd, finally spotting her curls dancing in the light breeze. He felt his heartbeat slow for a moment as he watched her make her way to the front.

Obi-Wan patted his shoulder,

“Good luck,” he said quietly before slipping in with the rest of the crowd.

“Adi!” Mace called out to her as she made her way over to the doors.

Mace stood in front of the doors to the small theater, his grey coat unbuttoned to reveal the black suit he’d spent all morning preparing. He fiddled with the coat, buttoning and unbuttoning it in anticipation.

Adi and Mace hadn’t spoken since the coffee shop, and part of him wasn’t sure he was still invited, but he had shown up anyway hoping to make things right.

“Mace,” she said surprised. She tucked her hands in her coat pockets, standing up straighter now. Mace, suddenly aware of his own slouching posture, followed suit.

“Hi,” he said, clearing his throat.

“Hi,” she said, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

The two of them spoke over each other quickly, not hearing what the other had said.

“What?” he asked.

“You first,” Adi urged. Mace smiled,

“I’m sorry,” he repeated. “I...didn’t want you to feel like I didn’t want to go out with you. I was just…” he trailed off.

“You were just…?” Adi continued.

“I didn’t want to lose our friendship,” he said after a moment.

“What’re you talking about, Mace?” she asked, stepping closer.

“I didn’t want us to...lose this,” he said, motioning between the two of them. “If we were in a relationship.”

“Mace,” she said, smiling at him. “You’re an idiot.” Mace looked up at her, confused.

She fished around in her small bag, pulling out two tickets, handing one to Mace. He took the ticket out of her hand, still confused.

“Wait,” he started.

“It’s okay,” she told him.

“But it's not,” he told her. “Adi, I want to be with you, more than anything else, I just want to know that….” Mace trailed off, not sure how to finish his thought.

“We can be in a relationship, Mace, and still be friends. They're not mutually exclusive.” Mace stared at her, stunned, but Adi only smiled. “And for the record,” she started, taking another step closer to him, now leaving only a few inches between them. “I want to be with you, too,” she said, leaning in to kiss him.

Mace was taken by surprise first but relaxed into the kiss, lifting one hand to cup her face, his fingers brushing back her curls.

“I…” he trailed off, his hand still on Adi’s face.

“I know,” she said with a smirk. She took his hand from her face and laced their fingers together. “Now, let’s get inside before I freeze to death out here, okay?” she joked. He smiled at her, offering her his arm. 

“Shall we?” he asked, bowing slightly. She linked her arm through his, laughing at the gesture.

“Let’s,” she replied.

From the corner of his eye Mace could see Obi-Wan talking to another man. As they passed, Mace patted Obi-Wan’s back encouragingly heading off into the theater.

  
***

  
“Obi-Wan?”

He looked up as Qui Gon approached. Obi-Wan was surprised to see him dressed up tonight. For the last week he’d seen him in jeans and cardigans, all hidden underneath long coats and thick jackets.

Tonight he was dressed formally, a crisp white shirt, unbuttoned at the top, revealing his tan skin and collarbones underneath it. His hair was pulled back halfway, but Obi-Wan still noticed the small flyaway hairs around his ears.

“I didn’t expect to see you,” Qui Gon said, breaking his thoughts. Obi-Wan looked back up at him and smiled shyly.

“We had a date,” Obi-Wan replied with a smirk.

“I just thought…” Qui Gon trailed off.

  
“What happened the other day wasn’t your fault,” he said. “I...wasn’t sure I was ready. You were going to kiss me and I felt as though things were moving too fast,” he said, looking at the ground. He saw Qui Gon step closer to him now and he swallowed hard,

“I’m sorry if I rushed things,” he said softly.

“Not your fault,” Obi-Wan said quickly.

“How would you like this to go, then? Qui Gon asked, smiling. Obi-Wan felt Qui Gon’s hand take his now. Obi-Wan smiled sheepishly,

“Slow," he replied nervously, looking down. 

"Slow is good," Qui Gon replied. Obi-Wan smiled, looking up at him now, and he swore the ground beneath him threatened to give at any moment.

Qui Gon laced his fingers between Obi-Wan’s, taking one step towards the building. “We should head inside,” he said, fixing his coat with his free hand. “Sabé would have my head if we were late.”

Obi-Wan nodded and fell into stride with Qui Gon as they entered the theater.

He caught Anakin and Ahsoka’s eyes as he walked in, giving her a confused look.

Ahsoka shrugged her shoulders at him, motioning to Anakin with a slight jerk of the head. He looked just as distressed as Mace had earlier, jittering in the cold.

Obi-Wan nodded reassuringly at him and Anakin returned the gesture.

He turned back, Qui Gon giving him a questioning look, but Obi-Wan only shook his head.

“Hey! Obi-Wan!” Ahsoka called out from behind them. He turned to see her wink at him, flashing two thumbs up at him and Qui Gon.

He sighed and walked faster, pulling Qui Gon along with him.

It seemed everyone was in hot waters tonight.

  
***

  
“You sure you got this?” Ahsoka asked him. Anakin nodded,

“Of course, snips,” he mumbled, a slight edge to his voice. Ahsoka rolled her eyes.

“Was that Obi-Wan?” Anakin asked a moment later, turning back to her. She grinned,

“Yep! Hand in hand with the Professor,” she told him. Anakin laughed,

“So he finally did it,” he mused. “Good for him.”

“And you just missed Mace with Adi Gallia,” Ahsoka added. Anakin whipped his head back to face her,

“What?” He asked incredulously.

“Mhmm, Windu finally manned up and went on a date with her,” she told him. “Everyone's doing pretty well for themselves tonight.” Anakin sighed and Ahsoka put an arm around him,

“Want me to stay?” She asked again. 

“No,” he said after a while. “I have to do this myself.” Ahsoka nodded,

“Well, I'm gonna go inside, then, because I can't take it out here. If you don't come inside, I'll assume you froze to death,” she said.

“Yeah, sure, sounds good,” he said distractedly as he noticed Padmé walking up to the theater.  
Ahsoka looked in his line of sight and saw Padmé approaching.

“Good luck,” she whispered to him before walking away.

Padmé stopped when she noticed him standing at the front of the theater. He was bouncing up and down slightly, pulling his jacket closer to himself.

“Padmé,” he greeted her, his voice desperate.

“Anakin,” she replied nonchalantly.

“Padmé I’m sorry,” he said quickly, walking closer to her. “I said things I didn’t mean yesterday and I hurt you and I’m so sorry and that was the last thing I wanted to do and if you got a job offer in London you should take it okay, there’s nothing here for you and you deserve your dream job no matter where it takes you.” He stopped himself and took in a deep breath, “So…” he trailed off, unsure of how to finish.

Padmé hit him lightly on his arm but stepped in close to kiss him. Anakin immediately wrapped his arms around her and Padmé was sure that it was mostly to keep himself warm, but she leaned in closer to his embrace anyway.

“You’re the dumbest person I know, Anakin Skywalker,” she said softly against his lips. He laughed and kissed her forehead in response.

“I’m not dumb,” he said, resting his forehead against hers. “I just do dumb things sometimes.”

“I’m going to take the job offer,” she said after a moment. “You were right when you said I’d already made up my mind, but I didn’t come here just to tell you about it. I came to ask if you would come with me.”

Anakin stepped back, his arms still holding her, looking surprised.

“What?” he asked. Padmé pulled him back to her,

“I’ve missed you so much, Anakin, and I want to be with you, and I was thinking about our lives and our future together and...I want to be with you, Anakin. So why not be together in London?” she offered.

“You want me to move in with you?” he asked.

“Only if you want to,” she said quickly, but Anakin’s smile only grew wider the more he looked at her. “But yes...I want us to move in together.”

Anakin kissed her again, picking her up in his arms and spinning her around. Padmé giggled as he set her down, pulling back slightly.

“I take it that’s a yes?” she asked.

“Hell yes,” he whispered as she kissed him again.

  
***

  
“Oh no,” Rex whispered. He ran to the door to try and lock it, but Anakin had already pulled it open. “No no no no, I’m closing!” Rex told them firmly as Obi-Wan and Anakin walked through the doors.

“Last call?” Anakin asked with a smile. Rex stared at them as the group grew, Mace and Adi and Qui Gon and Kit and Aayla and Padmé and Ahsoka and Sabé all filing in one by one, crowding the entrance to the coffee shop, all chatting loudly with each other.

Rex sighed and Anakin laughed,  
“I knew you'd say yes! He’s open, guys!” Anakin shouted to the rest of the group. Rex walked back behind the counter and threw two aprons at Anakin and Ahsoka.

“Consider it your night to close,” he grumbled, a small hint of a smile at his face. Obi-Wan patted him on the back,

“Then this counts as overtime!” Ahsoka shouted back, heading for the register.

“That was probably a mistake,” Obi-Wan told him, his voice unusually chipper. Rex dropped his head, sighing deeply.

“I know,” he said. “Don’t suppose you wanna help out, huh Kenobi?” he asked. Obi-Wan laughed but gave no answer, instead letting Qui Gon lead him away to the tables that everyone was now pushing together.

“Unbelievable,” Rex muttered to himself.

He watched on as the rest of the group pushed tables and chairs and sofas together, practically sitting on top of each other, laughing and talking over each other, the entire shop louder than it had ever been, and Rex couldn’t help but smile to himself. He shouldn’t be too mad, after all, he was the one that brought them all together in the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! A nice, lighthearted Star Wars Coffee Shop AU! Enjoy and please comment!

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think!


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